Graywolf Press is delighted to announce that poet Elizabeth Alexander has been selected by Poets & Writers Inc to receive the first annual Jackson Poetry Prize. The $50,000 prize honors an American poet of exceptional talent who has published at least one book of recognized literary merit but has not yet received major national acclaim.
The Jackson Poetry Prize, sponsored by Poets & Writers Inc was made possible by a significant donation from the Liana Foundation and named for the John and Susan Jackson family. The award is designed to provide what all poets need: time and the encouragement to write. Judges for the prize were Lucille Clifton, Stephen Dunn, and Jane Hirschfield.

“Poets & Writers Inc is very happy to be able to sponsor the Jackson Poetry Prize, and we’re thrilled to announce that Elizabeth Alexander has won the inaugural award. We’re very grateful to the Liana Foundation for making this significant prize possible and to the judges for their thoughtful consideration,” said Elliot Figman, executive director of Poets & Writers Inc.

Jeff Shotts, poetry editor at Graywolf Press said, “Elizabeth Alexander’s poetic voice keeps getting fiercer, her vision more expansive, and her art more resonant and meaningful. What a deserving honor for Alexander to receive the first Jackson Poetry Prize as recognition of her continuing dedication and talent. This prize is a sign of support for her future work, which is sure to astonish and delight.”

Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher. She is the author of four books of poems: American Sublime (Graywolf Press, 2005), which was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry; The Venus Hottentot (reissued by Graywolf Press, 2004); Antebellum Dream Book (Graywolf Press, 2001); and Body of Life (Tia Chucha, 1997). She is also a scholar of African-American literature and culture and recently published a collection of essays, The Black Interior (Graywolf Press, 2003). She has read her work across the U.S. and in Europe, the Caribbean, and South America, and her poetry, short stories, and critical prose have been published in dozens of periodicals and anthologies. She is a professor at Yale University and lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

Poets & Writers, Inc. is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization serving creative writers. Since its founding in 1970, its mission has been to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communications throughout the U.S. literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public. Poets & Writers accomplishes this by publishing Poets & Writers Magazine, producing Poets & Writers Online, offering publishing information and an online Directory of Writers, introducing emerging writers outside of New York to the New York City literary community, and supporting writers participating in public literary events through the Readings/Workshops Program.